Chapter 14
On the festival's main thoroughfare, the Kumogakure delegation's figures gradually faded into the distance.
While the surrounding crowd still pointed and murmured about the bandaged leader—marveling at how hard-won this peace was—
In Naruto's vision, the only figure he could see—the red-robed silhouette—was also gazing toward the Hokage Tower.
When the Kumo leader had passed earlier, Xuanming's projection had been conversing with Naruto the whole time.
Hands tucked in his sleeves, he stood boldly right in front of Naruto.
After all, no one around—not the villagers, not Uchiha Mikoto, not even the Anbu on the rooftops—could see him.
Watching the Kumo leader, Xuanming's golden fox ears twitched. "Naruto, don't be fooled by how happy that guy looks. He's hiding a belly full of bad intentions."
Naruto's small face tensed. He whispered, "Fox Sage… you mean… he's a bad guy?"
"Not just bad—he's a bad guy about to do something bad right now."
Xuanming spoke calmly: "They came to Konoha under the guise of peace, but behind the scenes they're planning trouble. They might make their move tonight."
"Ah?! That can't happen!"
Naruto's bright blue eyes filled with worry. "We can't let him do bad things in the village! Fox Sage, you're so powerful—you must know what bad thing he's planning, right?"
Xuanming shrugged.
Of course he knew the original plot—it was the kidnapping scheme targeting the Hyūga clan, the spark that led to Hizashi's death.
But reality wasn't a script. If he told the village that Kumo planned to kidnap Hinata Hyūga and they increased security around the Hyūga compound…
What if Kumo changed targets at the last minute and went after Sasuke Uchiha instead?
The Sharingan was tempting too.
They had just signed the alliance treaty—no way to detain them without cause.
And unverified intel wasn't enough to make Konoha fully trust a warning with no source.
Fortunately, he had a backup plan.
"Heaven's secrets must not be revealed; the future is not yet set." Xuanming shook his head, putting on an air of profound mystery.
"But one thing is certain: if that blade falls, Konoha won't just feel a little pain."
"Then… what do we do?" Naruto looked lost.
"What do you think?" Xuanming countered.
Naruto bit his lip, thinking hard. Suddenly his eyes lit up. "Tell Grandpa Hokage! He's the strongest person in the village! If we tell him there's a bad guy, he'll definitely know what to do!"
This whole muttered conversation looked extremely strange to outsiders.
Uchiha Mikoto stood nearby, watching Naruto suddenly gesture wildly at empty air, mumbling about "bad guys" and "Grandpa Hokage."
She frowned slightly and discreetly extended her sensing.
Before marrying into the Uchiha, she had been a top jonin of Konoha—still sensitive to chakra fluctuations.
No anomalies. No trace of mental techniques, genjutsu, or anything similar nearby.
It wasn't the Yamanaka clan's "Mind Body Transmission" either—that left detectable chakra connections for remote communication.
Mikoto sighed softly in her heart.
So… what Fugaku said was true?
This child, because of such deep loneliness, really had developed dissociative identity disorder and imagined a friend?
Looking at Naruto's earnest expression, Mikoto felt an inexplicable pang of heartache.
"Um… Aunt Mikoto, Sasuke."
Naruto seemed to finish "discussing" with his "friend." He turned around, scratching his head apologetically. "I have something urgent—I need to go see Grandpa Hokage. Sorry I can't play anymore!"
"Going to see Lord Third? That's fine."
Mikoto didn't try to stop him. She simply straightened Naruto's clothes, which had been rumpled by the crowd.
"Go ahead. And if there's anything you can't handle, you can always come find Auntie."
"Mm! Next time I'll come play with Sasuke!" Naruto grinned and waved energetically.
"Hmph. Who wants you to come find me."
Sasuke crossed his arms, turning his head away with full tsundere attitude. "I have big brother to play with… even if he's always busy."
The last part came out very quietly, tinged with loneliness.
He immediately lifted his chin again. "Anyway, I don't need you!"
Naruto didn't quite catch it—just kept smiling and waving as he wove through the bustling crowd, running toward the direction the delegation had gone—straight for the Hokage Tower.
Xuanming's projection turned into a streak of light and slipped back inside Naruto.
Outside the Hokage Tower.
Because critical alliance treaty proceedings were underway inside, security was exceptionally tight.
Naruto wanted to go in, but seeing the two expressionless, fully armed guards at the gate, he hesitated.
The door guards naturally recognized him—but there was no way they'd let a three-year-old child barge in and cause chaos.
He circled the building's perimeter several times like a headless fly.
Xuanming's voice rang in his mind: "No rush. Circle a couple more times—there'll be a way."
Just as Naruto scratched his head in frustration, from the shadow of a nearby rooftop—
A female Anbu with long purple hair and a cat-faced mask—Yūgao Uzuki—silently observed everything.
Yūgao Uzuki, a newcomer to Anbu.
As a rookie, she wasn't yet qualified for high-risk missions. Her daily routine—aside from training—was being assigned as a "jinchūriki observer."
"What's this kid doing skulking around the Hokage Tower at a time like this?"
Yūgao felt puzzled.
She signaled her teammates that she'd check it out.
Body flickering, she dropped into an empty alley with a soft poof.
White smoke cleared. The Anbu gear vanished, replaced by casual clothes and the gentle appearance of a friendly big sister.
"Hey!"
Yūgao approached quietly from behind and lightly tapped Naruto's shoulder.
"Wah!" Naruto jumped straight up in fright.
"Little brother, what are you wandering around here for?" Yūgao bent down, meeting his eyes with a kind smile. "Are you lost?"
Naruto looked up—pretty big sister!
He had almost no guard against adults who spoke to him nicely.
"Big sis, I have something super urgent! I need to see Grandpa Hokage!"
"See Lord Hokage?" Yūgao pointed at the heavily guarded gate. "Right now he's meeting with important foreign envoys. He's very busy—no one can go in."
"But… but that one-eyed guy is a bad person!"
Naruto blurted it out without thinking. "He's smiling, but he definitely came to Konoha to do bad things! I have to tell Grandpa Hokage so he can be careful of that guy!"
Yūgao's smile froze for a split second.
As Anbu, she instantly caught the key implication: something wrong with the Kumo delegation.
This was no small matter.
"Little brother, you can't just say things like that." Yūgao's smile faded; her tone grew more serious. "How do you know he's bad? Did you hear him say something?"
"It's not me who heard it!" Naruto shook his head earnestly. "It's Fox Sage who told me! Fox Sage said that guy's full of bad intentions—he never lies to me!"
Naruto faithfully relayed Xuanming's words to Yūgao.
Again with the "Fox Sage"?
Yūgao's heart tightened. As one of Naruto's assigned observers, she was of course familiar with the reports on his "dissociative identity disorder."
"Really… Fox Sage told you?" Yūgao couldn't help asking again. "No one else?"
Naruto looked at her strangely and shouted loudly: "I already said it was Fox Sage! Big sis, are your ears broken or something?"
"Uh…"
"…"
A vein throbbed on Yūgao's forehead.
A special operations Anbu… getting told her ears don't work by a three-year-old?
She forcibly suppressed the urge to flick this loose-tongued brat and squeezed out a strained smile.
"Sis heard you. Sis has very good ears."
Yūgao gritted her teeth. "Since it's so important, how about sis helps you tell Lord Hokage? You can't go in, but sis has a way."
"Really?" Naruto's eyes lit up.
"Really really. Now go home, okay?"
With that, Yūgao wasted no more words.
Poof!
A puff of white smoke burst.
Naruto rubbed his eyes—the pretty big sister had vanished.
Back on the rooftop, Yūgao signaled her teammates, then body-flickered toward the Hokage Tower to report Uzumaki Naruto's warning to the Third Hokage.
"Huh? Where'd big sis go? Is she a ninja too?" Naruto blinked in confusion.
"That was Transformation Technique and Body Flicker."
Xuanming explained calmly. "Don't worry—the message got through. We've achieved our goal."
"Oh… that's good!" Naruto let out a relieved breath.
Though the process felt a bit strange, as long as Grandpa Hokage knew, everything would be fine.
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